Faith || F.A.V.O.R. || Pastor Diego Mesa

Welcome to the ALSS Podcast. Here at ALC, we seek the loss,

teach the found, and send the disciples. We truly hope you're encouraged by

this week's message. I want you to stand for the reading of God's Word.

I'm gonna read two scriptures and then I'm gonna launch this so called series

that we're actually starting today going into the month of January. Faith means being

sure of things we hope for, knowing that something is real even if we

do not see it. And then in verse number six, it reads this

way, without faith, without having confidence in God, without relying and depending

upon God, without hoping and believing in God, you can't please God.

Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards

those who truly want to find him. You maybe seen it. Today we're

gonna launch a series for the whole month of jan you worried, called Favor.

As you recognize our year is the word favor, and we're going to

do a crosstick of the word favor, the FAVR. And today we're going

to talk about faith as it relates to favor. In nineteen eighty three,

In August of nineteen eighty three and Hacienda Heights at a restaurant called the Cattleman's

Wharf. I asked Cindy to marry me now. The restaurant was filled,

and I was wearing a nice shirt, but under the shirt, in the

middle of the meal, in front of all the people, I stood up

and I began to take off the shirt and I exposed the undershirt that was

under it, and it said it was a red shirt, and in white

writing, it said, Cindy, will you marry me? Now? Before

she gave an answer, I put out my hand and I said, don't

say anything. And I had a shirt made that matched mine and it said,

yes, diego, I will marry you. That's faith. That's a

whole lot of confidence and trust that she is going to respond accordingly. So

many times, when people think of faith, they think of it as a

religious box they check. They think it as a beautiful necklace or cross that

they wear around their neck. They often think of faith it's just simply a

certificate that I have on my wall or in my dresser drawer, or for

some it's just simply a lifeless belief that you have. But faith has so

much more broader of a definition in Hebrews the eleventh chapter. It's called the

Hall of Faith because it refers to Old Testament patriarchs that live by faith.

And we read a couple verses. But here it is it talks about Noah,

Abraham, Moses, Jacob. But these verses say by faith, by

faith, by faith, by faith, things were accomplished, things were done.

Next verse, please by faith by faith, by faith by faith.

So God's trying to draw an emphasis to us that you are not going to

do this life outside of faith. Then it goes on with some other particular

verses. All these people died in faith, so if you could die in

faith, then you can die out of faith. Then the next verse here

says this, all these people are known for their faith. So I need

to ask some opening questions. Is your faith of faith that's visible or invisible?

Is your faith faith something that's public or is your faith something that is

private? What is the condition today if you were to evaluate your faith?

Are you weak in faith or are you strong in faith? When you face

life's difficulties and tragedies, how do you respond to them? Which is simply

your moods, your emotions, or do you respond to them by faith.

And my last opening question is this, what is the number one thing that

the devil is after today? Let me tell you it's not your health,

even though you may feel that way. It's not your job or your finances,

even though you may feel that way. It is not your marriage nor

your children, even though you may feel that way. The number one thing

that your adversary, the Bible calls Satan the devil. His number one thing

to still kill and destroy and hinder in your life is your faith. That's

what he's after because with your faith is the outcome of your marriage, how

you'll live your life, which you'll believe God for concerning tragedies or struggles in

your life. So he's after your faith. Wat says. Here's what the

Bible says as it relates to that. Simon, Now you can put your

name there, Peter listen. Satan has asked expressly or he wants, that

all of you be given up to him out of the power of keeping of

God, that he may sift. The word sift means to break down,

to pulverize, to destroy all of you like grain or wheat. But I

Jesus said, have prayed especially for you. Peter that your faith may not

fail. That's what he is, the same enemy, same m method of

operation. He's going to attack you, and he's after your faith. The

Bible says in Ephesians, when he talks about putting on the full armor of

God, he takes take up to you the shield of faith, wherewith you're

able to quench all the firing missile, all the darts of the enemy.

Lift that thing up, the shield of faith. Because the enemy is throwing

darts at every single pierson in here, some kind of lie, some kind

of intimidation, something to control you or influence you. And the Bible says,

the weapon of your warfare is your faith. And lift that thing up

against the enemy, and speak my promises and speak my word against That's how

Jesus combat at the enemy. When he came to him in the wilderness,

he said, it is written, it is written, it is written.

That's lifting up the shield of faith. Whereever you're able to quench, stop,

exterminate all. I don't need to ask you to raise your hand.

How many of you are experiencing some fiery darts today. But then in Timothy

it says, fight the good fight of faith. So it's all in the

Bible. Many of you know that, but some of you may need to

be reminded about that that it's all related to our faith. I didn't do

this in any other services, but I'm reminded right now. In when I

was diagnosed with terminal cancer. People could talk about you did this, you

did this, you were wired this way, and all that kind of stuff,

and of how we brought vicy and overcame it. But the number one

thing for me was the Word of God, and my faith in the Word

of God related to the affliction. Now, Hobby is going to show you

some images on the screen right now. I want you to see how tattered

this book is. Okay, so here's what happened. Ah, don't do

it. So here's what happened. I'm diagnosed and I'm overwhelmed, just like

everyone else. Stage four told how long I'm going to live, told when

I'm leaving that office, do not last words, don't make no long term

commitments. What the heck are you talking about? So I had this little

book someone gave me. Someone gave me this book by John Hagen. It

was just a book on healing. But while I'm reading it, I feel

the Holy ghost telling me the Holy Spirit with me voice of God. I

want you to go through my Bible and find every scripture that I have on

healing. And so I didn't go get a pin. I didn't do that.

I just opened that book and I started writing on the leafs, the

sides of it. So some people say, I want that book, Well,

buy the book. But see, it's not the book. It's my

handwriting in that book. And if you look at it, why is it

so worn? It's worn because I lived with it for four years. And

I can count on this hand how many times I missed praying those one hundred

and seventy five scriptures that I wrote out on that book. Every single day

it would take me twenty minutes to read God's word to build my faith and

to strengthen me, and to remind God the promises that are found in his

word. We celebrated forty years not too long ago. Me and Lovely Sending.

We were in Hawaii and we walked across this tattered bridge. It was

just real wayward and we walked and I let her go in front of me

and we crossed over, and I asked her, how did you do on

the bridge? And she said okay. And it was a real wobbly bridge

and I was holding on tight, and she said I did okay. And

I said, what do you mean you did okay? She said, yeah,

I did okay because I didn't put all my weight on the bridge.

So she thought by lifting her feet and going like this, all her weight

wasn't on the bridge. But you know what, that's the way you are.

You don't put all your weight on God. So I got a side

hustle going in case God don't come through. I don't put all my marbles,

all my weight in believing God. We get into now the Hebrews,

and we get introduced to a man that I want to preach about for the

remaining of my time. So here we are in Hebrews again, do I

need to give more examples? I do not have time to tell you about

Gideon or Barack or Samson or Jabetha. And it lists them. It lists

them. So Jabetha is what we call in the Hall of faith. He

is there next to the big wigs, next to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,

Moses, Noah, Enoch, and Joseph. But that's all it said,

is his name is just simply there but it goes on and says through

their faith, they defeated kingdoms. This is how we defeat our kingdoms.

They did what was right and received God's promises and shut the mouths of lions.

They stopped great fires and were saved from being killed. The swords they

were weak, and they were yet made strong. They were powerful in battle

and defeated other armies. This is how we overcome too. But we get

introduced to this guy, and I'm gonna give you three points of why he's

in the book. First of all, I must make mention that all that

matters is that your name is in the book. He doesn't have a big

resume of all the accomplishments. God just put his name in there. That's

it. And oftentimes we are so judgmental about ourselves and we condemn ourselves because

somebody spiritual resume is so much law. They've been serving God for forty four

years. I've been serving God for one and a half years. They volunteer,

here, give here, do this, do this. This is all

I have done so far in the Kingdom of God. They have this fabulous,

massive testimony of God's healing and deliverance and supernatural and I don't. I've

not done any Listen, all that matters, as you're in the book.

All that matters is that you're remembered by God. All that matters is that

you you just do something, don't do everything, don't try to compete again,

just do your part. Do look at somebody to say some Then,

so here we go. Let's get introduced. Now, he's a judge,

twelve judges in the Old Testament, twelve judges, and they came after Moses

and Joshua and before the reigning of the kings of Saul and David and Solomon.

And so they were a judge, and a judge wasn't like judge judy,

that's not the judge they were, Okay, they didn't litigate cases or

hear cases in front of them. They were just commanders and they were leader.

And his run was only about six years. And so there are three

things that stand out to me about his life. And here's the number one

thing that we'll talk about now. Now, Jabathan the gilia Knite was a

mighty man of valor. But he was the son of a what His mama

was a whore. His mama was a prostitute. Come on, I don't

mean to be mean. So you think you got problems, you think you

were born on the wrong side of the family, you think you got a

broken home. The Bible's there for you to learn from this guy. Okay.

His mama was a professional whore, a prostitute. Okay, he was

probably labeled a bastard and an illegitimate child. Okay, that's him and Gilead

begot Jabatha, that's the name of his father. Gilead now marries a wife

and bear's son, so he's got half brothers half brothers, and when his

wife's sons grew up, they drove Jabathan out, so there's now rivalry going

on. I don't see I do not see Gilead doing anything about it.

So that tells me he's a passive father. That's a passive father right there.

Okah. Okay, he lets his son deal with his problems instead of

him stepping up. Okay. Then it goes up and it says this.

They say to him, you shall have no inheritance of our father's house,

for you are the son of another woman. So they're making fun of his

mama and they're just saying inheritance again. I want to encourage you have a

trust so that your children do not argue about an inheritance. I've seen more

so called Christian families fighting over jewelry and estates when that could have been eliminated.

So this is what's happening right now, Get out of here. Then

Jabathan fled from his brothers. So he's a teenage runaway and he dwelt in

the land of tob And here's who he dwells with. Worthless men band together

and Jabathan went out rating with them. So he becomes a thug. He

becomes a gangster, he becomes a banger, he begins to be a criminal.

I'm not exaggerating. That's what the story says. I'm probably doing just

more of an elementary job, and you probably could do a broader job than

me when you preach this better than I'm preaching it next time. First point

is this the faith to overcome his past. He exercised faith, not to

allow his past to define him. I'm gonna rise above it. I'm not

gonna deny it. I'm not gonna run from it. Yes, that happened,

but I don't have to stay the way that set define me to be.

I'm gonna I'm gonna trust. I'm gonna use my faith to believe God

that everything that has happened to me, God will help me through it.

Some things come instantly and some things will be delivered over time. But I'm

not gonna allow my past to define me. The Bible says forgetting those things

that are behind were to press forward. Why is it that some people can

overcome their past hurts, disappointments, rejections, failures, betrayals, And I'm

not trying to make light of them, because some of them are very,

very serious. It may not be your responsibility or your fault for what happened

to you, but it is your responsibility and your fault if you stay there,

especially if you call yourself a Christian who says I can do all things

through Christ that strengthens me. And greater is he that is in me than

he that is in the world. And thanks ben to God who always causes

me to try umph and gives me the victory. You know all the scriptures,

but why don't we apply them in the difficult places of our lives.

When I'm broken and I'm bitter, and I'm angry and I'm dysfunctional. He

had to be able to work through those disadvantages. So here are some ways

that people can overcome their past. Number one, find someone in need and

help them. It's amazing when you get your eyes off of you and put

it on someone hurting less than you or more than you, mean more than

you. How you can get healed through that and not be so consumed that

I have it so bad. Number two, go find Pastor Kinney and get

some godly counseling. Go get help. Number three, forgive yourself and forgive

others. Number three go on a prayer and fasting visual because Chelsea made mention

of our prayer fasting. My favorite scripture is Isaiah fifty eight, and it

tells you four things that fasting does. It breaks bondages in your life.

And how many of you know can't get rid of the past and unforgiveness and

bitterness and anger. That could be a bondage that needs to be broken.

So you and I have to go on a time of prayer. I had

a stronghold in my life. I was a Christian, I was a pastor,

and I can honestly say this, I hated somebody. I hated them

because of what they did to me. And God, he'll tolerate you for

a minute. He'll tolerate you for a minute, and then he begins to

crank the screws on you and says, I understand why you're like this way.

It's because someone else did you wrong, and you have a right to

feel this way. But if this can't go on as long as you're making

it so now it's the limelight is not on them anymore. The limelight is

on you now. And so God led me on a three day fast,

and on the end of the third day, I felt like God said,

you're healed. And I've never hated that person again. I was so bad

I couldn't even look at them. I took their name out of my mouth,

their my vocabulary. I hope you never get to that place. I'm

talking about a Christian pastor. I'm not talking about before I got saved or

anything like that. But the level that's the level of bitterness and hurt and

resentment that was within me. God will tolerate it for a minute, and

then he won't. And I'm all over the place in this message on Passer

Kenny, find scripture. Find scripture that relates specifically to the need in your

life or the hurt and memorize it and quote it a billion times and then

eventually stop talking about it or playing the victim and having a pity party.

It's amazing people talk about something that happened thirty years ago as though it happened

yesterday, and they still play that victim in that pity party. Got to

let you talk about, like I said, for a minute, but eventually

he wants you to begin to overcome it. So I just I recognize what

Jabathan did. He didn't hold on. He did not hold on to the

past of what was done for him for the rest of his life. How

he started was not how he was going to finish, and he was able

to get healed from what he went through. Today in twenty twenty three,

you may have went through a divorce. You may have went through a bankruptcy

this year. This year, you may have lost custody of your children.

This year, you may have faced some level of job loss, financial loss,

but you don't have to allow that to define you. You may be

dyslexic, or have some kind of handicap or disability, or lack of education

or lack in your life. You don't have to allow your past to rob

you of your future. God is amazing in what he can do. Tom

Dempsey played eleven years in the NFL and for forty years he had the longest

field goal in history, sixty three yards. But if you look at his

right foot, he had half of a foot. He had a club foot.

How does a guy make it in the NFL, have a long career

and hold the record of a sixty three yard field goal. Someone who overcomes

the past, or someone doesn't allow his past to limit lim or the labels

to define him. Another individual that was just down the street is a guy

named Jim Abbot. Jim Abbott played for our Angels. But notice he does

not have a hand in his right arm, and he played many years as

a major league pitcher, but he has to his resume a no hitter.

He threw a no hitter. Again, do not allow your handicaps. What

you went through, your divorce is what was done to you rob you of

the future that God has for you. Do not deny it, do not

run from it. Acknowledge it. Allow God to heal you, and it

will become a great story and a great testimony of what God had done in

your life. Here's the second thing that I recognized. As we're going to

read, he over he he had fate to overcome the past. Number two.

And it came to pass that after a time that the people of Amnan,

that was israel arch enemy, made war against Israel. And so it

was when the people of Amen made war against Israel that the elders of Gilead

went to Jabatha from the land of tob Then they said to Jabetha, come

and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Amon.

I love this response. So Jabathan said to the elders of Gilead, do

you not hate me and expel me from my father's house? Why have you

come to me now when you are in distress. I don't want you to

raise your hand or point at anybody. But how many of you know somebody

that don't want nothing to do with you until they need your help. Then

you found my phone number, then you called me, then you text me.

Now you drop by my house. They wanted nothing to do with him,

but in their hour of desperation, because they're fighting against Amnun and they

know this guy is a nonsense thug and he'll take you out, they went

to him and said, would you fight for us? I do not read

in any of the verses where I see jabathas saying that's not my battle on

you. You weren't there for me, and I ain't there for you.

But how many of you know that's often how we respond to somebody. We're

quick to remind them of what they did to us. Then we power over

them that I can help you, but I'm not. I don't see any

of that attitude. He helps people that don't deserve to be helped. Do

you know people that don't deserve your help? Will you help them? He

does not have to get involved. He is happy living in Tobe with his

gang. He don't have to get involved. And there are times when you

don't have to get involved, but you feel God telling you and the love

of God within you telling you get involved. Crucify your flesh, put your

heart a sigh, Let me represent or be represented through you in this.

That took faith. Man, that took a lot of faith for him to

not retaliate or say I'm gonna get even or vengeance is mine. But he

humbles himself and says, okay, I will not do to you what you

have done to me and what he does. He changes his title from the

leader of tob he changes it to a judge. I am now a commander

and a leader for God. There's going to come a time when you have

to change your identity from what the world has labeled you to what God wants

you to be. But that's up to you whether you will accept it or

not, because it will be hard and it will not be easy. And

God says, I need you to step up for me right now. This

is not just man asking you to do something. This is Me asking you

to do something for the Kingdom of God. Yeah, bunch of yeah,

yeah, yeaes here today it's thick in here. And so what does he

do? It took faith. It took faith to accept the assignment and the

call and the position of God. He took a risk to take advantage of

this opportunity. And I just say, there's not a lot of people in

the Kingdom of God that are willing to take risks for God. You want

to live in the comfortability of the boat and not get out of the water

and walk on water. And you don't want to climb up the sycamore tree

to see Jesus. And you don't want to press through the crowd to touch

the hem of his garment. And you want to shut up instead of saying

at the top of our voice, Jesus son of David on me. And

you don't want to take the tent peg and kill the general. And you

don't want to be esther and stand up for the people not knowing what's gonna

happen. And you don't want to be ruth and go into a foreign land.

You don't want to do that. Leave me alone. I'm retired,

I'm all by myself. I just want to fish. Jababa steps up.

This is God knocking at my heart and he wants this season of where I

lived to be over. And he's relocating me. He's repositioning me. He's

putting a different call in me. So it takes faith to seize the opportunities

when God comes knocking upon your heart and be reliable and be dependable and be

responsible for what God's asking you to do, and to step up and to

step out. How how are you gonna be able to do this? Well?

This one verse gives us an indication. Then the spirit of the Lord

came upon Jababa. He depended on the Holy Spirit to help him. Lord,

I can't. I've got a past. I feel so disqualified. God,

who am I? I didn't graduate from school. I didn't you know.

I didn't come from a great family. Came from a broken home.

But Holy Spirit, you heal me. Holy Spirit, you deliver me.

Holy Spirit, you equip me. Holy Spirit, give me the words,

Holy Spirit, give me the empowerment. Holy Spirit, give me your annoineteen

to do it. And that is how he was able to do it.

He was able to do it by the spirit of God. So when Jesus

comes knocking on your heart to ask something of you, what will be your

response? Will you ignore it? Or will you be arrogant? Two responses

when God go you either ignorance or arrogance. How will you respond when God

comes to you and asks you to do something really really difficult and really really

tough, and you're like, God, this is not a good time.

It's never a good time. You know what? Their calendar will go on

the screen in nineteen ninety four. You know itice June twenty seventh, March

twenty seventh, and nineteen ninety four. In March twenty seven, nineteen ninety

four, is when abundant Living had its first service in South Ridge, Fontana

and a nine hundred and seventy foot square foot home. Me and lovely Cindy

opened our home and allowed people to come into our house, and we burnt

the church there. That is the day that had happened. That is a

day prior to that that God was knocking upon my heart because I was done

with ministry. I had been burnt by ministry and I didn't really want anything

to do with ministry anymore. I just wanted to sail into the business world

and do whatever I felt like I wanted to do there. But God was

knocking on my heart to do this. And I'm just telling you that that's

where Abundant Living was started because that happened. And God will do the same

thing for you in your life. That he'll come to you when you have

figured out your life and you have a dream, and he'll bring an inconvenience

in there and begin to change the trajectory of your life. So when He

comes knocking up on your heart, what will you do? We just gave

away a couple of weeks ago in the volunteer banquet of what we call the

Sundra McGinnis Awards. Cedric Merrick won it he wanted for his volunteer ship.

Since twenty and eleven, he has been in his sane post and in insane

position here at Abundant Living. He's a volunteer, and I guess through technology

we're able to keep track that he has put in four hundred and sixty four

days of volunteer shipwork and he's logged in two thousand, three hundred hours as

a volunteer. If you're to walk over to Children's Church, you get introduced

to two of our oldest, not chronologically, but in their intern of a

tinerant of being there in children's and it's on a meek and it's norma and

they have been in children's Church taking care of like now multiple generations now after

twenty five years of children? Is it people that have full time jobs?

But why do they do that? They do that just simply because knocking God

is knocking upon their heart asking them to do something for him. It takes

faith to accept the assignments and the jobs and the positions of God and see

these as golden opportunities. Because connected to this opportunity is destiny. Destiny with

twelve people, Destiny fulfillment purpose all in this little house, and that's what

happens. You fulfill something for the Kingdom of God. Here's the third point,

and I'm done. Here's the third excuse me, the point of faith,

faith overcome the fast, and faith to seize the opportunities of God.

And Jabathan made a vow to the Lord and said, if you will indeed

deliver the peace people of Amnin into my hands, then it will be that

wherever, whatever, excuse me, whatever comes out of the door of my

house to meet me when I come back from this battle, when I return

in peace from the victory of it from the people of Amin shall I shall

shall surely be the Lord's and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.

So he's saying, God, if you can guarantee me that I am

going to defeat Amnin, and he did in twenty cities, then here's what

he's saying. The moment I come down that road and enter into my home,

whomever and whatever comes out to greet me, I will give it to

you. I will offer it as a sacrifice to you. Now you have

to read more of it because it's going to get a little bit. It's

going to get a little bit unique and descriptive on who it was that came

out because he had one daughter and she was a virgin. He had one

daughter. The commentaries and the theologians argue and discuss and nobody has the answer

of what it actually what actually happened. Fifty percent of the cant me say

this that he made a rash vow, an immature vow and not a concentrated

vow, and he didn't he should have thought about what he was doing.

And when his daughter came out to celebrate, Daddy your home, you brought

victory. Then the vow was I'm going to kill her now and offer her

up to the Lord as a human sacrifice. Well, I don't believe that

that that happened. If you remember the story of Hannah, Hannah said a

prayer and she said, Lord, I'm barren, but if you'll give me

a child, I will dedicate that child to you. I'll give them to

you, which was Samuel, and he will be raised in the Temple of

God and be given to ministry. I believe that's what he did. But

the reality of giving this child over to the Lord would mean that he'd have

no inheritance, he'd have no grandchildren that would come through it. Though it

was a very difficult vow. Here's what my third point is. He had

the faith to keep his promise, faith to keep his promise. How many

of us make all kinds of promises to God, especially when we're in the

heat of difficulty or in an emergency or an accident. God, if you

get me out of prison right now. God. If God, if you

restore my marriage or let my wife, let me sleep in the bed again.

God, if you don't let me get caught. God, I promise.

How you doing on those promises? He kept his commitment, He kept

his promise, he kept his oath, he kept his vow. How many

in your lifetime you say, pastor, I've never well, let me tell

you. Maybe you haven't done it with your mouth, but you did it

with your mind. According to the word of God, they're inseparable. God

judges us with our thoughts as well as our words. Have you made vows

to God and not fulfilled them? It takes faith to do there. How

many have ever heard a vow like this? Do you promise to love this

man? Or this one for Richard, for Porst, He'll sickness and hell

till death. Do your part. How many people keep those vows? Are

I'm not here to judge. How many of you stand before somebody and say,

I swear to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth shall

help me God? How many of you keep that promise? How many of

you? Oh, I accept, Jesus, says the Lord of mine.

He is my lord, my master, my ruler, my boss over no,

not my money. He wrast rule over my b No, no,

no no. So he was able to fulfill, and he was able to

keep. I don't want to be faithful up till up till I don't like

something anymore, want something anymore. I don't want to be faithful until until

something or someone better comes along. I don't want to be faithful only when

I need a miracle. I don't want to be faithful sometimes or most of

the time. Ecclesiastes simply says this. It says, when you make a

vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure

in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow

than to make one and not fulfill it. We need to stay doing and

stick with what God told us to do and not put expiration dates around it.

It's not gonna be easy. It's not gonna be difficult. But it's

not gonna be easy. It's it's gonna be difficult, But this is what

God's asked us to do. Whether that's related to your marriage, whether that's

related to your children, whether that's related to church, whether that's related to

your faith in God, whether that's related to your diet, your exercise,

whether that's related to your finances, or whatever it might be. Keep the

promise, keep the oath unto God. How many of you are our Charger

I want to say, is it San Diego still charge? I don't even

know what teams they are anymore? Is it Oakland Raiders still so? The

Washington Redskins? Oh? Anyway? How many of you are Charger fans?

Any Charger fans? No Charger fans in here? Okay, well that's cool.

But there's a guy. His his name is Larry Branton. Since nineteen

seventy one he has had home tickets to the Chargers, but since nineteen seventy

two to the present day, he has not missed one home game of the

Chargers. That's fifty one years consecutively. That's over four hundred and fifty games

consecutively that he has not missed. And yet you can't make a promise that

you won't be here next week. Man, let me check my schedule,

let me see what the weather is. I'm not trying to bring calmdom name,

just say, can you see where I'm going with this? I'm not

sure I'm gonna get up and pray tomorrow. It's the New Year's or what?

Shoot me and Jack might wake up, Daniels might wake up. It

was now sure, ah's Jack to wake me up? Anyways, let's move

on. I want to end with this story. I want to end with

this little this movie clip. But I want you to know it's not talent

and ability or gifting that God promotes. It's when you are faithful in tough

times. And faith is not proven or seen except when you have to go

through difficult times. You're faithful up till then, but can you be faithful

through it? That's an indication of how strong your faith is. You do

not renig, you do not sway you can. You keep showing up no

matter what. Watch this little clip, and then we're gonna pray I can

never make it. Help me, lie, Please, I promise not to

try and kill myself anymore. Save me, and I swear up your better

father. I'll be a better man, I'll be a better everything. All

I ask is make me a better swimmer. Oh God, I can't do

this to Julie. We can't do this to Julie. Oh God, let

me live. And I promise to obey. Lend me one of the ten

commandments. I shall not kill, I shall not commit adult real I shall

not huh. I'll learn the ten commandments, and then I don't pay every

one of them. Just get me back to the beach. I'll be honest

in business. I promise not to sell lakeside lots. Now this is a

lake around. I want to see another sunrise. I want to see another

sunset. There was a mistake. God, I never really wanted to kill

myself. I just wanted to get your attention. Help me make it.

I'll give you a fifty percent of everything I make. Fifty percent. God,

I want to point out that nobody just fifty percent. I'm talking gross.

God, I think I'm gonna make it. You won't regret this,

Lord, I don't pay every commandment. I'll see my parents more often,

no more seen in business. Once I get rid of those nine acres in

the desert with and I'm gonna start, donate that ten percent right away.

I know I said fifty percent, Lord, but ten percent to start.

And you know what your ten percent, then don't take it. I know

it was you that saved me. Father, we joke and we laugh,

but there's some truth in that. God, and Father. I just pray

Lord that our faith is not dormant, but that it comes alive. We

do not know what tomorrow holds, from wars to rumors of wars, to

plagues to viruses o God, to inflation, economy and violence. Our faith

is the most precious thing God. Faith supersedes the world's tragedies. Faith is

secure in Heaven. God. Faith reminds us that we are only sole journals

passing through God and everything and anything that we could ever face that looks like

hardship is temporary. God, may our faith today be extremely strong in You.

God. We're able to keep it strong by feeding feeding on your word.

God. Now, God, as we exit this year, God,

help us to close out this year right the same way. Fiscally, businesses

have to close out the year. May we close out our year? Is

there any hurt? Is there any pain? Is there any unforgiveness? Is

there any grief? Is there any loss? Is there any disappointment? Is

there any struggle? And is there any sin? Is there anything that has

hurt you or harmed you? This year? We're going to close it out

now. You don't carry it into the next year. Now, let's put

a clean slate in front of us today. Father, people have hurt us

this year. People have disappointed us. This year. We have failed you.

God. But in the name of Jesus, let the debt, the

weight of that now be lifted off of us. Now, in the name

of Jesus, we lay it all down God, all the fighting, all

the competition, all the warring, anything that we've been struggling with, God,

we give it to you now in the name of Jesus. Lord,

sorrow, pain, grief, anguish. We don't carry it into this next

year, Oh God, we lay it all down before you to walk free

and light into this next year. In Jesus' name. Now, as we

close out this service, and Chelsea's gonna come forward and dismiss us, I

don't want to take it for granted that everyone in this room is born again

and saved and going to heaven. You don't go to heaven because you're a

moral person. I don't cuss or drink, never committed adultery. You don't

go to heaven because you're a spiritualist. You like candles, you do crystals,

and you believe in every guru and philosopher and theorist out there. You

don't go to heaven because you're a great humanitarian. You do acts of service,

kindness, volunteer hours. Those are called works. And your works and

my works are like filthy rags. And you cannot work your way out of

hell, and you cannot work your way into heaven. The only work that

God acknowledges is the work of his son dying for your sin and my sins

on the cross. That's the only work that will save you today. Can

you recognize in your life when I'm not trying to earn something, but I

acknowledge the work of Jesus in my life today. He's the only way to

save me. Or say I'm a Christian, but I'm not serving the Lord

as I should. I'm writing defensive compromise in and out. God never left

me, but I've left him. When I count to three, I want

you to rededicate your life to Lord, or give your life to the Lord

for the first time today and said, I thought I could save myself,

but I recognize I can't save myself. I don't have a heaven, and

I don't have a hell, and I don't have the power to come out

of those things or to enter into those things. I know everybody in this

world, but I don't know anyone in the afterworld to bring security into my

life except what I'm hearing right now. Here's your security, here's your stability

for eternity. His name is Jesus. You raise your hand right now,

and we'll pray for you to give your life to Jesus or rededicate your life.

One two, one two three, Raise your hand all across this auditorium,

wherever you might be. I want you to do one more thing for

me. Stand on your feet for Jesus. Make a stand for Jesus right

now. Say I need the Lord. I need the Lord. I need

the Lord in my life. Say a simple prayer with me. Those of

you standing up, just say, Lord, I surrender, surrender my life

to you. You know everything about me. I cannot hide it from you.

I recognize I cannot save myself. Jesus, will you save me from

my sins? I now will follow you for the rest of my life.

Amen. Let's give the Lord a clap offering. We really hope you enjoyed

the message, and if you said yes to Jesus, we just want to

say congratulations and give you a free devotional to help you walk out your faith.

Click the link in the description or head over to grow dot Faith for

download your devotional. Oh and be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with

your friends. Thanks for listening in the ALSC podcast, and we hope you

tune in again.